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Penfield Town Board approves building a tavern next to a day care

Would you be okay with a tavern going in right next to your child's day care? Like it or not that's what is going to happen in Penfield.

Wednesday night the Penfield Town Board approved a proposal for a new Jeremiah's Tavern.

It will be located on Route 250 right next to the Doodle Bugs! Child Care Facility. That's also right across from Target.

Not everybody who came to the meeting supported the plan. The concerns brought up Wednesday night weren't just about the day care.

Only only a handful of people spoke at the meeting and there was little mention of the Doodle Bugs! Day care center and more talk about quality of life issues.

“If at all possible I'm requesting that the hearing on Jeremiah's Tavern be postponed,” said Penfield resident Monica Gorlick.

Gorlick wanted the board to wait to take a vote on a proposal to allow Jeremiah's to come to Penfield. She said some people were on vacation and many had a number of concerns about the proposal, like the hours of the new establishment.

“I'm not an old fart or anything, I like a good time, but I don't want to hear music playing at 11 o'clock or two in the morning,” said Gorlick.

Gorlick and her husband were among a handful of residents who came to this meeting to voice concerns about the proposal to let the bar and restaurant open at 2164 Fairport Nine Mile Point Road.

Jeremiah's is a Rochester bar on Monroe Avenue, known for it's popular chicken wings. It has another location in Gates.

News10NBC reached out to the owner of Jeremiah's, but the company had no comment.

However, on Wednesday night the Penfield Town Supervisor Tony LaFountain told News10NBC Jeremiah's proposal fits in with what the town is looking for.

“Certainly what we have seen through that application, what we have seen at their other locations and the type of things that our residents have called for, fits in together,” said LaFountain.

Some residents disagree. Initial concerns were raised by people who worry about the close proximity of the Doodle Bugs! day care center.

“There's nothing in the law that prohibits that, that's not considered a school, and if it happened to be considered a school it meets more than the distance required for a location in that particular area,” said LaFountain.

Surprisingly, there was little talk of the potential impact on the children at the day care center and more about the impact on the quality of life.

“I understand that now Tim Hortons is going to be across from my backyard, Them being open till two o'clock in the morning doesn't bother me as much as this, with outside music and drinking,” said resident Beth Gallegher.

The board did not postpone taking a vote. In fact, it approved the proposal unanimously.

However, the board amended the proposal to include quite a few conditions.

While Wednesday night's hearing on the proposal was not public, the board did consider what the residents suggested.

Jeremiah's Tavern will have an outdoor patio and live entertainment. However, there will be a restriction on the sound levels. No amplifiers can be used and the music has to end by 10 p.m.

The board will also have final say on the landscaping and any development as it relates to reducing sound.